Balloon Fiesta Adventure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Last weekend I got the awesome experience of being able to attend the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. I was initially debating attending the Fiesta because I had just moved to Pinehill and Albuquerque is over two hours away. However, when my friend and fellow VISTA Alexis (serving in Whiteriver, AZ on an Apache Reservation with the National Society for the American Indian Elderly) said she wanted to go I was game.

About noon on Saturday, Alexis rolled into Pinehill to pick me up and we were off to the Albuquerque. As we drove the winding roads of Highway 53 through the Zuni Mountains, it was clear we both were really excited to not only be going to the Balloon Fiesta but also to see civilization again. As we are both east coast girls (Allie hails from New Jersey) we were starting to get a little cabin fever in the isolated mountains we are working in. While we both agreed that we enjoyed nature; we have not yet adjusted to living in an area where CVS doesn’t exist, Internet is looked at as some science fiction theory, and four buildings in a square mile area constitutes a road sign that says congested area. Overall it was nice to spend time with someone else who understands what I am going through right now.

About an hour or so down the road we came across a Walmart and decided to pull in for a pit stop. A quick purchase of candy and taking the free can of Sierra Mist (non-diet and caffeine free: worst combo ever we decided) Walmart was handing out we were on the road again.  Eventually we rolled into Albuquerque and found the KOA. When planning this trip we decided that we need to be there on Saturday night and Sunday morning to get the full experience. However, being on a VISTA budget meant that getting a hotel room was just not an option. Since Alexis had a tent, camping out seemed like the perfect solution. Well this was a camping experience like I have never had before! For lack of a better description we were basically camping out on I-40. The sound barrier wall was about 20 feet from our “tent site” (a patch of gravel dirt next to some RVs) and you could see the exit ¾ miles sign from our tent. Although it was not the most ideal campout it worked for the trip.

Saturday evening we headed to the Balloon Fiesta Park for the famous balloon glow. Along with the rest of the crowd we staked out our blanket spot and enjoyed some Pad Thai (our food vendor of choice). As the sun started to go down pilots got out their balloons and started to blow their balloons up. Occasionally they would light up the balloons and the colors of the balloons would glow against the night sky. It was amazing.

After the balloon glow, Allie and I decided that we needed a more substantial dinner than a shared plate of Pad Thai. Together we shared a nice dinner of Olive Garden (only after haggling for some free food using the argument “We are devoting a year of our life to national service” IT WORKED). After some commercial Italian we headed back to the KOA to catch some ZZzzz’s before day two of the balloon glow.

Up bright and early at 4:20 am we were packed up camp in the dark and hopped into the car to head to the park for day two of the balloon fiesta. Once again in the early morning before dawn there was another balloon glow and this one was even more amazing than the night before. Then just as dawn appeared balloons started floating into the sky one by one. As the sun grew higher the balloons began to launch faster and faster. In fact they were launching practically on top of us! I must have seen over 100 balloons fly into the sky. If anyone is ever thinking of taking a trip to New Mexico I would definitely say to plan it in October and take in some of the Balloon Fiesta.

The Balloon Fiesta is just one example one of the many reasons I am thrilled to be doing Americorps. By living in a different area of the country I am getting to see and experience things I might never have the chance to. I am excited to see what I will do with the rest of my year.